Department for Transport

Railways: Yorkshire and the Humber

lord bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on journey times of additional stops at Stevenage for the 6.40am Leeds to London and 6.55am Skipton to London services; and how long these additional stops will be included in the timetable.

baroness sugg: London North Eastern Railway temporarily included additional stops at Stevenage, to support passengers until the new Govia Thameslink Railway timetable was put into place on Sunday July 15. As a result of the new timetable, trains from Leeds and Skipton into London will no longer stop at Stevenage.

Department of Health and Social Care

NHS: Migrant Workers

lord davies of stamford: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer bythe Earl of Courtown on 12 June (HL Deb, col 1575), from which countries it would not be acceptable for the NHS to recruit nurses and doctors.

lord o'shaughnessy: The United Kingdom adheres to the World Health Organization Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel. The UK Government has developed a list of developing countries, based on economic status and the availability of healthcare professionals that should not be targeted for recruitment without Government-to-Government agreement.The list is based upon the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development’s Development Assistance Committee list of aid recipients and can be found in the attached table, due to the size of the data.There are three important exceptions to this list. First, there is Memorandum of Understanding between the UK and Philippine Governments to enable the UK to recruit registered nurses and other healthcare professionals that are regulated by appropriate professional bodies in both countries. Second, the inclusion of India on this list is in relation to four states: Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and West Bengal. These states currently receive assistance from the Department for International Development. Finally, the Chinese Government has requested that China is removed from this list but that no recruitment should take place in small rural areas.Specific agreements also exist for exchange programmes, or medical training initiatives, which enable health care professionals to come to the UK on a temporary basis to learn new skills before returning to their home country. For example, the Government announced such a scheme in partnership with the Jamaican Government in April this year. 



Countries which should not be targeted
(Word Document, 16.21 KB)

Mental Health Services: Ethnic Groups

lord boateng: To ask Her Majesty's Government what were the recovery rates for Black and Minority Ethnic (BAME) patients referred for treatment through the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme in comparison with other patient groups; whether recovery rates for BAME patients vary between the worst deprived and least deprived areas; and if so, how.

lord o'shaughnessy: Improving Access to Psychological Therapies recovery rates by ethnicity group and Indices of Multiple Deprivation are shown in the attached table, due to the size of the data.



IAPT recovery rates
(Word Document, 26.29 KB)

Department for International Development

Department for International Development: Reviews

lord watts: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many independent reviews the Department for International Development has commissioned into its policy or administration over the last year; and what was the total cost of those reviews.

lord bates: The Department does not hold this information centrally.

Syria: Humanitarian Aid

the marquess of lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations and reports they havereceivedabout the current humanitarian situation in Idlib.

lord bates: We are concerned about the dire humanitarian situation in Idlib where over two million civilians live in fear of attacks by the Assad regime and its backers. Over 50% of the Idlib population have been displaced from their homes, sometimes multiple times, stretching scarce resources beyond their limits and putting further strain on host communities. DFID-funded partners are providing the most vulnerable with food, education, healthcare and cash grants. With our international partners, the UK continues to use our position in the UN Security Council and the International Syria Support Group to advocate for the protection of civilians, and calls on all parties to allow humanitarian agencies unfettered access to deliver aid to those most in need

Overseas Workers: Civil Servants

lord goodlad: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the pension arrears owed to former members of Her Majesty's Overseas Civil Service are paid.

lord bates: DFID Overseas Pension Department have responsibility for administering pensions to former expatriate Colonial Civil Servants and have no pension arrears outstanding to entitled pensioners.

Middle East: Water

lord hunt of chesterton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken with other countries and UN agencies, including the World Meteorological Organisation, to help restore water to the rivers and ground water resources in war torn countries in the Middle East.

lord bates: The UK Government is working closely with partners, including UN agencies, to improve access to and management of water resources in a number of Middle Eastern countries.Examples include:- Technical support for national policy and planning on water resources in Syria, the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Lebanon and Jordan.- Support for water resources management in Yemen, through the World Bank’s Pilot Programme for Climate Resilience.- Working with UNICEF in Jordan to improve access to safe water and sanitation facilities for Syrian refugees and vulnerable Jordanians.- Supporting the Water Authority of Jordan carry out urgently needed improvement of the wastewater system’s operational capacity, by building a new wastewater conveyor (redundancy pipe) benefitting a total of 2.3 million people.- Support to the construction of the Central Gaza Desalination Plant and upgrading of the water distribution network in Gaza.

Ministry of Justice

Female Genital Mutilation

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1) prosecutions, and (2) convictions, for female genital mutilation there have been since it was criminalised in 1985; and in each case, what sentences were imposed by the courts.

lord keen of elie: Up until 31 December 2017, there have been two prosecutions (one in 2014, one in 2016) and no convictions for female genital mutilation under the Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003.Data for 2018 will be published in May 2019.

Judges: Females

lord pendry: To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of judges who sit in the Magistrates Courts of England and Wales are (1) women, and (2) women from ethnic minority backgrounds, broken down by region.

lord pendry: To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of circuit judges and recorders in England and Wales are (1) women, and (2) women from ethnic minority backgrounds, broken down by region.

lord pendry: To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of judges who sit in Family Division Courts inEngland and Wales are (1) women, and (2) women from ethnic minority backgrounds, broken down by region.

lord pendry: To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of judges who sit in County Courts of England and Wales are (1) women, and (2) women from ethnic minority backgrounds, broken down by region.

lord pendry: To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of judges who siton the Court of Appealof England and Wales are (1) women, and (2) women from ethnic minority backgrounds.

lord pendry: To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of judges who sitin the High Courtof England and Wales are (1) women, and (2) women from ethnic minority backgrounds.

lord keen of elie: The 2018 official judicial diversity statistics were published on 12 July and is attached. The statistical tables provide information on the:1) Primary appointment of Judges in Courts in England and Wales, by gender, ethnicity, professional background, age and payment type by region, as at 1 April 20182) Primary appointment of Judges and Non-Legal members in Tribunals in England and Wales and Employment Tribunal Scotland, by gender, ethnicity, professional background, age and payment type, as at 1 April 20183) Primary appointment of serving Magistrates in England and Wales, by Advisory Committee Area, by gender, ethnicity, and age, as at 1 April 2018The data is not available by the breakdown requested, as the gender and ethnicity of judges is reported but not in combination; and diversity information of judges by region is reported for the total courts judiciary but not by judicial office. This breakdown requested could only be collated at a disproportionate cost.



Table of Judicial diversity statistics 2018
(Excel SpreadSheet, 137.42 KB)

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Housing: Construction

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many potential homes are included but not yet started under existing planning permissions; and what proportion of the total are on sites for 50 or more dwellings.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: On 30 June 2018, there were 748,000 homes with full planning permission, of which 431,000 were on projects which had started on site, and 317,000 had yet to start on site. Of these 748,000 homes, 86 per cent are on sites of 50 or more dwellings.

Private Rented Housing: Electrical Safety

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made in introducing electrical safety checks in the private rental sector.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: Our recent public consultation sought views on introducing mandatory electrical safety checks in the private rented sector. There were just under 600 responses and we announced on 19 July that landlords will be required to have electrical installations in their properties checked every 5 years.

Local Government: Leicestershire

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment theyhave made of the proposals by Leicestershire County Council to create a single unitary authority in the county presently served by a two-tier structure; and whether it is their policy to only agree to the reorganisation of local government structures where agreement is reached with all the local authorities affected.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: Whilst the Government has not received such a proposal, it would assess any proposal to replace two-tier local government with one or more unitary councils against our publicly announced criteria, namely that proposals should, if implemented, be likely to improve the area's local government, command a good deal of local support in the area, and whether the area itself is a credible geography for the proposed new structures.

Monitoring Officers

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to strengthen the role of monitoring officers in local authorities.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: The Government has no plans to change the role of monitoring officers in local authorities.The role of the monitoring officer is to ensure that the council operates within the law. Monitoring officers have a specific duty to:Report on matters they believe are, or may be, illegal or amount to maladministration;Investigate concerns about the conduct of councillors and officers; andOversee the operation, review and updating of the constitution, including to provide advice on the interpretation of the constitution, and make determinations where necessary.

Ministry of Defence

Afghanistan: Military Aid

the marquess of lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the Prime Minister's statement on 11 July, how the additional 440 UK military personnel to be deployed to the NATO mission in Afghanistan will "bring the stability and security that the Afghan people deserve".

earl howe: The uplift of 440 personnel will join the UK-led Kabul Security Force (KSF), which supports the wider NATO Train Advise Assist mission with non-combat support for the Afghan National Defence and Security Force (ANDSF). This support enables NATO advisors in the city to undertake capacity-building and directly mentors the ANDSF on delivering security for the civilian population, which they been responsible for since 2015. The UK is already playing a critical role, alongside our NATO partners, in training the ANDSF so they have the skills to maintain stability in a challenging environment. The UK uplift will further bolster these efforts where our operational experience and expertise directly benefit the ANDSF.

Palestinians: Military Aid

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what training the army and Joint Forces Command supply to the Palestinian Authority Security Forces; what is their budget for such training; and which department provides the budget.

earl howe: I refer the noble Baroness to the answer I gave her on 19 June 2018, to HL 8534.This training is paid for by the cross-Government Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) and MOD's Defence Assistance Fund (DAF). In financial year 2017-18, the CSSF spend was £2.32 million; and DAF spend was £145,000.



HL8534 - Middle East: Military Aid
(Word Document, 26.46 KB)

Department for Work and Pensions

Poppy Factory

lord lee of trafford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the work of the Poppy Factory in helpingdisabled veterans find sustainable employment; and whether they would consider using it to assist the work of Work Choice.

lord lee of trafford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of research by the King's College Centre for Military Health Research which suggested an individual placement and support (IPS) approach to support back-to-work welfare services; and whether they will support The Poppy Factory, which offers an IPS employment service to wounded, injured and sick veterans.

baroness buscombe: Government values the work carried out by The Poppy Factory. The Poppy Factory made a valuable contribution to the Health and Work Green Paper consultation and also attended a special DWP consultation event for Armed Forces stakeholders. Work Choice is no longer accepting referrals as it is being replaced by The Work and Health Programme, which was rolled out in all areas of England and Wales between November 2017 and March 2018. The Poppy Factory was informed at the appropriate time how to bid to become a Work and Health Programme supplier. Successful suppliers were announced in early October 2017. The Government looks closely at schemes to help people back to work, studies relevant research and learns lessons where appropriate. The Poppy Factory’s ‘Getting You Back to Work’ programme has delivered impressive outcomes through its Individual Placement and Support approach and the organisation should be congratulated for the way it supports its clients. The NHS is doubling its provision of IPS services in NHS services for people with severe and enduring mental health, for whom it has proved successful. The Government is also testing whether this model of employment support is effective for other groups. We would be keen to learn from the experience of the Poppy Factory of running IPS for veterans. Previous DWP Armed Forces Ministers have visited the Poppy Factory in Richmond and I plan to visit later this year.

Universal Credit

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government, in the light of the demand on the services of food banks, whether they plan to introduce any modifications and improvements to the administration of Universal Credit; and in particular whether they will reduce (1) the waiting time for first payments, and (2) the level of advance loan repayments.

baroness buscombe: We continuously modify and improve Universal Credit in response to feedback, and have also implemented a number of further improvements.This package of measures, which are set out below, not only addresses concerns raised around the first assessment period and the budgeting issues faced by some claimants at the start of their claim, but also supports the vast majority of claimants transitioning onto Universal Credit. They include:from 29 November 2017, all DWP Universal Credit phone lines are free and claimants will not be charged when they need to get help with their Universal Credit claim.from 3 January, the repayment period of Universal Credit advances has been increased to 12 months and claimants can now get up to 100 per cent of their estimated monthly entitlement upfront. These advances are available to claimants interest-free. Earlier this month (July 2018), advances also became available to apply for online.from 14 February, the seven-day waiting period that some claimants had at the start of their Universal Credit claim was removed; and,from 11 April, we have provided an additional payment for claimants already receiving support towards their housing costs of two weeks of their Housing Benefit to support them as they transfer onto Universal Credit. Claimants will not be required to repay this money.

Universal Credit

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to increase Universal Credit payments in line with inflation; and what plans they have, if any, to make payments reflect more closely the Minimum Income Standard.

baroness buscombe: The Department will be conducting the annual review of benefit and pension rates later this year, as required by the Social Security Administration Act 1992. This will include many Universal Credit rates, though it will exclude the standard allowance which has been frozen at 2015/16 levels until the end of 2019/20, by the Welfare Reform and Work Act 2016. The Government is committed to supporting people who cannot work or have additional needs as a result of illness or disability and has consistently increased the carer amount, Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity amount and higher disabled child addition in line with inflation since the introduction of Universal Credit. Additionally, although work allowances, have not been increased each year they were raised in line with inflation for 2018/19.

Pension Funds: Investment

lord teverson: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to issue any guidance to pension fund trustees to encourage them to invest in green assets without breaching their fiduciary duty; and if so, when.

baroness buscombe: The Government does not seek to encourage or direct pension schemes to invest in any particular class of assets. However, it does want to support pension fund trustees to be clear about their responsibilities when making investment decisions and to remove any uncertainty caused by the current regulations. The 2017 Law Commission report ‘Pension funds and social investment’ found that some trustees are confused about their fiduciary duty to consider the long-term sustainability of investments. The Government agrees it should clarify that trustees have a duty to consider risk and opportunities in the long-term, including those arising from environmental, social, governance and climate change considerations. We have consulted on regulatory changes which, subject to the outcome of the consultation and Parliamentary approval, will make this clarification with effect from 1 October 2019. Following the changes we anticipate that The Pensions Regulator will update existing Codes and guidance for trustees.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Berries and Soft Fruit: Nanotechnology

baroness kennedy of cradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the use of nanomaterials to extend the life of soft fruit.

lord gardiner of kimble: Defra and the Food Standards Agency are aware of the potential for nanotechnology to be used to extend the shelf life of soft fruit. This area is covered by EU legislation. Nanotechnology products must be authorised before they can be used in or on food, or in food packaging. The authorisation process includes a comprehensive safety evaluation by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). To date, no nanotechnology products for direct application to soft fruit have been authorised in the EU and none are currently being considered for authorisation.

Home Office

Immigration: Windrush Generation

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people were affected by the Windrush scandal; and how many of those were wrongfully (1) detained, and (2) deported.

baroness williams of trafford: The Home Secretary provided an update on the work being done by the Home Office to identify individuals who have been removed or detained, and who might have been part of the Windrush generation, in a letter dated 10 July to Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP. A copy of that letter is available on the Home Office Select Committee website and can be accessed through this link - https://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-committees/home-affairs/Windrush-Home-Office-update-10-July-2018.pdf



Letter - Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP - HASC 
(PDF Document, 121.21 KB)

Visas: Fees and Charges

lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will waive visa applications fees for people who cannot be returned to their home country because that would result in a breach of their human rights.

baroness williams of trafford: Fee waivers are available for specified applications, such as those where removal or refusal to grant leave would be a breach of their human rights. Fee waivers are granted if the applicant is currently destitute, likely to be rendered destitute, or whether there are exceptional circumstances relating to their financial outgoings. This can include having to provide for the particular welfare needs of a child.

Deportation

lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people in each age group forced to leave the UK for immigration reasons in the last five years were (1) under 19 years old, (2) between 19 and 30 years old, (3) between 31 and 60 years old, and (4) over 60 years old.

baroness williams of trafford: Information on the number of people that have been returned from the UK on an annual basis by age group, is available in table rt_03 (returns data tables, volume 2) in ‘Immigration Statistics, year ending March 2018’, available from the GOV.uk website at:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/709311/returns2-mar-2018-tables.ods



rt_03 Returns 2 - March 2018 - Table 
(Excel SpreadSheet, 4.45 MB)

Immigration Officers: France

lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many immigration officers are based in Calais and Dunkirk.

lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many immigration officers are based in Holyhead.

lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many immigration officers are based in Dover.

baroness williams of trafford: Border Force does not release location specific statistics on the deployment of its resources for security purposes as doing so could compromise border security.This Government has ensured that sufficient resources are available to ensure the security of the border is not compromised. Security of the border cannot be measured by numbers of staff. Border Force uses a sophisticated combination of experienced officers, intelligence, data, technology and partnership working. Border Force resources are reviewed on a regular basis as part of the wider Border Force business planning process which is led by the Director General of Border Force.The number of Border Force paid staff in post at the end of 2017-18 was 7,719.

Asylum

lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many asylum seekers were awaiting decisions on their status in the first two quarters of 2018.

baroness williams of trafford: The Home Office publishes data on the number of asylum cases pending a decision at the end of each quarter in table as_01_q (asylum, volume 1) of the quarterly Immigration Statistics release.https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/709299/asylum1-mar-2018-tables.odsThe latest figures show the total number of asylum cases pending a decision at the end of March 2018 was 24,593. Of this total, the number pending an initial decision was 22,100.Figures for the end of June 2018 are due to be published on the 23rd August 2018.



Table - as_01q 
(Excel SpreadSheet, 2.27 MB)

Immigration Controls: Heathrow Airport

lord rosser: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many, and what percentage of, non-EEA nationals who arrived at Heathrow airport on 25 June were not cleared through immigration within the Border Force’s service level agreement of within 45 minutes.

baroness williams of trafford: We do not publish data on performance at individual ports.Published data on the clearance of passengers at the border can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/border-force-transparency-data-may-2018Data relating to Border Force activity at Heathrow is published on the Heathrow Airport website at https://www.heathrow.com/company/company-news-and-information/performance/airport-operations/border-force



Border Force Transparency Data - May 2018
(Excel SpreadSheet, 73.54 KB)

Human Trafficking: Albania

the earl of sandwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government what efforts they are making to harmonise conclusive grounds determinations of the UK and Albanian National Referral Mechanisms.

the earl of sandwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that Albanian survivors of human trafficking in receipt of positive conclusive grounds determinations under the National Referral Mechanism have returned to Albania to find that their local authorities disagree with those determinations, making them ineligible to receive any of the associated social support.

the earl of sandwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they ensure that UK support for Albanian victims of human trafficking reaches those who need it most.

baroness williams of trafford: The UK is working closely with the Albanian Government to better support Albanian victims of modern slavery and human trafficking, including the reintegration of returnees. For example, the UK and Albania are currently in the process of strengthening cooperation under the 2014 Memorandum of Understanding to enhance information-sharing.Both the UK and Albania are signatories to the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings, which requires our governments to design comprehensive frameworks to protect and assist victims of trafficking. The UK and Albania have developed National Referral Mechanisms to fulfil this requirement. The decision-making processes through our respective National Referral Mechanisms are independent and we are not seeking harmonisation beyond the sharing of best practice and expertise.We are not aware of reports that victims have returned to Albania and not been provided with support due to local authorities not recognising UK Conclusive Grounds decisions. Should we receive reports, we will discuss with Albanian counterparts.The UK provides comprehensive support to potential victims of trafficking in the UK through the National Referral Mechanism regardless of their nationality. All victims who receive a positive reasonable grounds decision are entitled to a minimum 45 days Reflection and Recovery period, during which specialist support and advocacy are provided. This includes access to emergency medical treatment, translation and interpretation, information and signposting, counselling, assistance at appropriate stages of criminal proceedings against offenders, assistance with returning to their home country, and tailored exit plans to move on from their time in service. This assistance is designed to meet the unique needs of individual potential victims.

Asylum: LGBT People

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people have claimed asylum on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity in the last 24 months; and of those, how many have been granted (1) refugee status, and (2) right to remain.

baroness williams of trafford: In November 2017, the Home Office published an experimental statistics report on asylum claims on the basis of sexual orientation, this includes data on asylum claims, initial decisions and appeals where sexual orientation formed part of the basis for the claim. The report covers the period from 1 July 2015 to 31 March 2017. The report is published at the link below:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/asylum-claims-on-the-basis-of-sexual-orientationBetween 1July 2015 and 31 March 2017, there were 3,535 asylum claims where sexual orientation formed part of the basis for the claim. Of these, 3,332 had an initial decision, 838 (25%) of which were grants of asylum or other forms of leave (814 grants of asylum and 24 grants of limited leave).



Stats - Asylum claims on the basis - sexual orient
(PDF Document, 353.14 KB)

Department for Exiting the European Union

Free Movement of Labour

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether self-employed peoplewill continue to have the same opportunities through the labour mobility framework after Brexit as they do under the current free movement arrangements.

lord callanan: We have been clear that free movement of people will end as the UK leaves the EU. The White Paper: The future relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union sets out that the UK will make a sovereign choice in a defined number of areas to seek reciprocal mobility arrangements with the EU, building on current WTO GATS commitments. The UK will discuss how to facilitate temporary mobility of self-employed professionals as part of this.

Immigration: EU Nationals

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether,after Brexit, it will be easier for EU citizens to come to the UK than it is for people elsewhere in the world.

lord callanan: We have been clear that free movement of people will end as the UK leaves the EU. The White Paper: The future relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union sets out that the UK will make a sovereign choice in a defined number of areas to seek reciprocal mobility arrangements with the EU, for example to allow business professionals to move to provide services, or tourists to continue to travel freely without a visa. This is in line with the arrangements that the UK might want to offer other close trading partners in future, where they support new and deep trade deals.

Customs

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what role the European Court of Justice would have in UK lawunder the facilitated custom agreement.

lord callanan: The Prime Minister was clear in the speech she gave at Lancaster House in January 2017 that in leaving the EU we will end the jurisdiction of the CJEU in the UK. Our proposal delivers on that commitment. Rights that flow from our future relationship will be enforced in the UK by UK courts and in the EU by EU courts - with no more preliminary references from UK courts to the CJEU. In those areas where we have a common rulebook, it will be important for businesses and citizens here and in the EU that they are interpreted and applied consistently, so our courts will pay due regard to the relevant CJEU case law when deciding a case. If there is a dispute that relates to the common rulebook, the Joint Committee or an independent arbitration panel will be able to ask the CJEU to give an interpretation of a common rule. However, it will fall to the Joint Committee or the arbitration panel to decide the dispute itself, consistent with the essential principle that the court of one party cannot resolve disputes between the two.

UK Trade with EU

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will have to pay contributions to the EU to benefit from participation in a free trade areafor goods; and if so, how much thiswould cost.

lord callanan: Our proposals are for a common rulebook for goods, covering those rules necessary to ensure that there is frictionless trade at the border, alongside a business-friendly facilitated customs arrangement. This is in the interest of both EU and the UK and will enable us to protect integrated supply chains and meet our joint commitment on the Northern Ireland-Ireland border.

UK Trade with EU

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they plan to take to ensure that the UK will be able to exert influence on the EU about the regulation of goods so that the common rulebook proposed after Brexit remains in the national interest.

lord callanan: Our proposals are for a common rulebook for goods, covering those rules necessary to ensure that there is frictionless trade at the border, alongside a business-friendly facilitated customs arrangement. This is in the interest of both EU and the UK and will enable us to protect integrated supply chains and meet our joint commitment on the Ireland-Northern Ireland border. As part of the agreement, the UK would also seek participation in relevant EU technical committees and agencies that have a role in designing and implementing rules that form part of the common rulebook. Where the UK has chosen to apply a common rulebook Parliament would have a lock on incorporating rules into the UK legal order, recognising that choosing not to pass the relevant legislation would have consequences.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Data Protection: EU Law

lord mawson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what research they have done about the public understanding of and support for the General Data Protection Regulation requirements.

lord ashton of hyde: The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) is responsible for promoting public understanding of the General Data Protection Regulation rights and rules. The ICO's Your Data Matters campaign is a long-term campaign to help the public understand their data rights. The government published research on the benefits arising from personal data rights under the Regulation, including the public's privacy preferences. This research, which I attach, is available at https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/635701/PersonalDataRights_LE_-_for_Data_Protection_Bill__1_.pdf



London Economics GDPR
(PDF Document, 3.76 MB)

Gambling: Internet

lord chadlington: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessmentthey have made of the correlation between the increase in online gambling and the levels of loneliness in the UK.

lord ashton of hyde: We are developing a cross-government strategy on loneliness in England to be published later this year. This will bring together government departments, local government, public services, the voluntary and community sector and businesses to identify opportunities to tackle loneliness, and build more integrated and resilient communities. The Government has made no specific assessment of loneliness in relation to online gambling but is considering digital issues in developing the strategy. Government is also leading work to develop the evidence base around the impact of different initiatives in tackling loneliness, across all ages and within all communities.

Digital Technology: UK Trade with EU

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made ofwhetherthe UK’s digital economy may be at a disadvantage against European competitors by the goods-only approach outlined in the Chequers statement.

lord ashton of hyde: Since the Chequers statement, we have published the White Paper on the Future Relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union. Digital is a fast evolving, innovative, sector that is driving economic transformation across the world. Digital sectors contributed £116.5 billion to the UK economy in 2016, representing 6.7% of GVA. Given these characteristics, the Government's White Paper proposal recognises that for digital sectors it will be particularly important to have domestic regulatory flexibility, to ensure the UK can respond nimbly to new technological developments, and be at the forefront of emerging technologies.